Valley Forge

George Washington and the Crucible of Victory

In the winter of 1777, Washington and his demoralized army retreat from Philadelphia, arriving at Valley Forge where they discover that their repeated requests for a stockpile of food, winter clothing, and building tools have been ignored by Congress. In spite of the suffering and deceit, Washington endures all, joined at last by a volunteer from Germany who begins the hard task of recasting the army as a professional fighting force capable of facing the British head-on and changing the course of history.

Comment

I was pleasantly surprised with this book. I had never read anything by Mr. Gingrich and am now looking forward to his other fiction. It should be required reading to kids; it has a bit of mild cursing, but considering the crude, sexually graphic trash they are assigned by their teachers, this should not present an impediment. And in Washington’s own words “a primary object of such a national institution should be the education of our youth in the science of government. In a republic what species of knowledge can be equally important and what duty more pressing on its legislature than to patronize a plan for communicating it to those who are to be the future guardians of the liberties of the country?” This is a History lesson that will benefit anyone who cares to learn more about the United States. Deep, serious research clearly went into crafting the story of the brave men who fought to create this Republic—from regular “colonials” to General George Washington. The courage of these men, although not turned into a mushy novella, permeates in every page. You will probably end the book and say a heartfelt prayer for them! (Kudos to Mr. Gingrich who, unlike other famous authors who push the real authors of their books to the obscure position of “ghost writers,” shared the laurels with co-writer, William Forstchen; he went as far as adding contributing editor Albert Hanser’s name in the inside cover page.)